Managing the Commercial Vehicle Fleet With Telematics: Openmatics at the IAA 2014

• The new application “Profi Driver” helps to ensure an efficient and resource friendly driving style
• Always keep an eye on driving and resting times using the “Driving Times” app
• Openmatics shows future logistics concepts in the ZF Innovation Truck

Openmatics, ZF’s telematics platform, consistently creates advanced systems, which enable better managing and monitoring of truck and bus fleets At the IAA Commercial Vehicles (ZF stand B17 in hall 17) in Hanover from September 25 to October 2, 2014 Openmatics will present two new applications which offer significant added value: Both “Profi Driver” and “Driving Times” will contribute to facilitating fleet operators’ and drivers’ everyday lives and making them more efficient. Openmatics will provide an outlook into the future of logistics and telematics by showing its technologies in the ZF Innovation Truck.

New telematics solutions for trucks and buses become more and more important with the increasing pressure to save time and costs in the transport industry. Apps optimizing business processes and improving fleet vehicle utilization and planning are particularly in demand. This is why Openmatics extends its comprehensive portfolio by two new apps which will help to achieve those demanding goals even better.

Greener Driving
The most recently developed app is called “Profi Driver”: It offers proactive driver training and thus improves the driving style for higher fuel-efficiency and gentler vehicle handling. The drivers can check their performance in comparison to the average results of the whole fleet at any time on an android display in the truck or bus. Fleet managers benefit from the app and its modern and intuitive operator interface as well. Thanks to “Profi Driver”, they have the opportunity to quickly and easily analyze their truck or bus drivers’ driving styles on a web portal and receive the results in the form of a graph, a table or a ranking. Targeted optimization measures can be derived from this solid database. Furthermore, the “Driver Feedback” function is already integrated in “Profi Driver”. It informs every driver on their tablet display and/or via voice warning as soon as the vehicle deviates from the threshold values defined by the fleet manager – e.g. in terms of speed, engine RPMs, idle time, acceleration, and braking force. Thus, the “Profi Driver” app significantly contributes to reducing the fleet’s fuel consumption, wear, and maintenance costs.

Conforming with the Law
The “Driving Times” app avoids violations of the legal requirements of driving times. It consistently displays current information about how long a driver may drive in a day, a week or a fortnight. It is thus particularly easy for dispatchers to compare the data of several drivers with one another – and to draw quick and valid conclusions about the further utilization of drivers and vehicles. Moreover, the app provides other precious information such as how many kilometers drivers still have at their disposal – at a specific speed average – taking into account their driving and resting times. Thanks to “Driving Times”, transport companies can thus improve their utilization planning and considerably reduce their risk of being fined. Dispatchers will be able to identify potential violations of the legal requirements early enough – and prevent them.

However, Openmatics is aiming for more; the company is already working on numerous further innovations to improve the everyday transportation business. One example is an algorithm which is used to reliably calculate the operational severity: Many different factors such as the vehicle weight and the topographic profile of the travelled route are taken into account for the calculation. However, this is not a separate app, but rather an additional feature for all applications for which is the operational severity relevant.

Logistics Made Easy
In the ZF Innovation Truck – one of the highlights at the IAA Commercial Vehicles 2014 – the telematics expertise of Openmatics plays a central role in several regards: First and foremost, the project team used so-called “Bluetooth-Low-Energy (BLE)” wireless chips in this tractor-trailer prototype, which can be maneuvered and remote-controlled via a tablet when driving at walking speed. They provide wireless detection of the articulation angle data – between tractor unit and semitrailer as well as semitrailer and trailer – which are needed by the automatic maneuvering control. Also in general these BLE tags bear great potential: Configured in different ways, they could be mounted to the load/cargo of trucks in the future. Just before the truck reaches its destination, dispatchers could gain precious information from the telematics: among others, detailed information about the truck’s freight; or whether sensitive goods were subject to strong shaking or high temperature on the road. Also thanks to the Openmatics team, all vehicle data can be visualized in real time on the remote-control tablet inside the ZF Innovation Truck.